Out of the Past and Into the Future
by francis2
Summary: A missing scene after OOTP and before Dr. Feelgood. Two different POV.


The elevator jolted slightly to a halt at my floor. A jolt of pain shook through me again. I had been hardly able to keep up appearances enough to steal a few packs of blood at the hospital and get home. Guillermo was out of town and I desperately needed help. Crap.

I had wanted to drain one of the packages so badly, but due dilligence made me wait. What if someone saw me?

I was lucky that this early no-one was in the garage. Now, in the safety of my private floor, I could finally break down. I stumbled to the door, barely able to press the key pad with palsied hands, and pushed it open with my good shoulder. No time. No time. Silver burned into my back and shook me up. Nerve endings flaring, brain mushy from blood lust. If a human came in now, I would probably drain him before I registered myself.

I pushed the decorations on my sideboard out of the way, dropped everything I had hidden in my coat on it and hastened to open a blood bag. It wouldn't budge. I almost cried out in frustration. Then the first drops reached my tongue. Soothing, healing.

It wasn't enough to fully heal, as long as the silver was in, but enough to get some semblance of control. Trembling hands wouldn't do to take the bullets out. I wondered what to do about the back. Call the Cleaner? Josef?

I was so intent on draining the bag that I didn't hear nor smell the presence of someone else. The door! I trembled from more than silver. It was Beth. I turned away. She couldn't, mustn't see me. Not her. Not like this. My fangs wouldn't recede, I was too far gone for that. Would she see the bags? Couldn't be helped. What to tell her? Panic set in.

I could hardly hear her. Blood lust was the last concern now. I would never hurt her, never. But I couldn't let her see.

Oh my God. She saw my face. How am I gonna explain that? Fangs dripping, eyes cold. I'm a monster.

„I'm a vampire."

She didn't ask any questions. She just turned around and ran away. Better that way. I was hardly able to keep myself from hunting after her.

She won't tell anybody, I'm sure of that. But I may have lost her friendship. Forever.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It was early morning, sun was almost up, and I was tidying up my desk. I was in a good mood after my late dinner date and looked forward to retiring to subzero for the day.

Mick's ringtone on my private cell phone gave me a jump. I wondered briefly what he wanted at this time.

„Kostan Enterprises, please hold the line. Our CEO has already left the building. Or was that OCD?"

Heavy breathing on the other end. If Mick was trying his hand on an obscene call he was doing it wrong. You didn't call a friend for something like that.

„Should I be flattered that you call me to masturbate?" I quipped.

Silence.

„Joz'f!" came his strained voice. Something was wrong. I changed into another mood.

„What's wrong, Mick?"

Listening intently now I could hear that his breathing wasn't heavy as much as painful and exerted. I heard him shuffle and something banged, maybe a door.

„Mick!" I was agitated by now. He was hurt, and probably in danger.

He whispered „Silver. Buckshot, in my back. Loft. Help me." then the line went dead.

Damn. I rushed to the garage and cursed the elevator for not going faster. In the last minute I remembered that I drank Mick's stash of bottled blood at my latest visit and that Mick would need more now, so I fetched a few packs. I ran to his apartment, breaking the speed limit. I didn't care.

When I reached his hallway I could already smell the blood. His doorframe was stained with it. I knocked, then let myself in with the security code he had given to me.

First thing I noticed was the half empty blood bag on the sideboard opposite the doorway. Mick was too neat to let it sit there. He must be really out of it. I closed the door securely.

Then I smelled Beth. He wouldn't. I went from concerned to angry in a second. If he told her, I would have to get her done, or she would spill the secret to the media. It would kill Mick if I had to do that.

When I saw him lying on the floor next to his couch I forgot about Beth. He had tried to get his coat off, but failed. He had tried to get to the couch, too. I scooped him up and bedded him comfortably, then pushed his clothes out of the way. It was bad. His skin discoloured, his face a mask of pain, he didn't even react to me handling him.

I hated to do this. I found his emergency kit under the sink and started to pull buckshot out of his shoulder. First from the front, then from the back. Bastard had shot him twice. At one point I accidentally touched a shrapnel and the pain reminded me of the agony Mick had to be in.

Finally, the silver was gone. I washed the wounds, first with water, then with A pos. Cradled his head in my lap and fed him the rest of the pack. Then another. He still wasn't reacting.

I carried him up to his freezer, removed the rest of his clothing, then closed the lid. My suit was ruined. Well, he would do the same for me, and had done so. He was my friend, perhaps the only one.

When he woke up I would rip him a new one for telling Beth, but for now I would keep watch over his undead body.

xxxxxxxxxxx

When I woke up in my freezer I still felt like death warmed over, muscles cramping, feverish and incredibly hungry. Before I could lift the lid the freezer opened on it's own, and Josef's boyish face smirked down on me.

„Sleeping beauty is finally awakening," he grinned. „You hungry?"

I just nodded, and he handed me a glass of blood. I chugged it down, handed it back to him and moved to get out.

„No, you don't. You're still not your usual self. Pasty grey is so last season for make-up."

I glared at him. „I need to pee." It doesn't happen often, but once in a while a vampire needs to get rid of toxins that accumulate in his body, especially after contact with silver. He helped me up and went outside to give me some privacy.

I put my robe on and opened the door. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. I was set to get downstairs on my own, not letting the fatigue get the better of me.

We settled into the living room, both nursing a glass of blood. „So, will you tell me what happened?" he asked.

I started with Beth and I following the GPS trail to get Julia out of Lee Jay's clutches. Told him that I got her out but was shot. Told him that Beth saved my life by shooting Lee Jay. Told him I hurried home to get blood and help. And that I called him because Guillermo was out of town.

„You're not telling everything, friend. Beth was here. I could smell her. Did she see you?"

I nodded. I was anxious what Mr. Paranoid would make of this.

„Did you explain it?"

„I told her I'm a vampire. She left immediately, she was shocked. I assure you she won't tell anybody. She will probably be back later, with tons of questions, but she would never blurt something like this out at first chance for a cheap thrill. She will wait her time and decide what to do with the information. That's just how she works."

„I guess for the Pulitzer prize you have to weigh your words wisely and decide whom to sell the story." he quipped.

„No, Josef. She won't do that. And if she does, I'll deal with her."

„You won't. Once she's been blabbering it's too late. We're already on the radar because of that whacko at Hearst. We can't afford to take the risk. I'll pay her a visit and see for myself."

„What will you do? Tell her that there are more vampires, that we have a whole underground society thing going on, with our own rules and punishments, and that you're in charge of the L.A. vampires? Don't you think it's quite a jump from knowing that I'm a vampire to knowing that?"

„I'm not about to tell her anything. I'm going to observe her, or have her observed, to see if she's telling anybody. A friend, her editor, her D.A. boyfriend perhaps…"

„You know an awful much about her already. You never told me you had her followed."

„As soon as she got into our world with Professor Ellis and you I had her phone tapped and someone keeping track of her. I'll just up the surveillance, she won't even know."

„Okay, I'm not opposed to that. Actually, she's such a trouble magnet that I'm even glad you're keeping an eye out."

„Will you tell her more about us?"

„I might have to. You have no idea how persuasive she can be. But I think I trust her."

„You think. That's not enough."

„Josef, please. Let me handle this."

„Okay. I'll let you have your little hobby. You're way too much into the human world, my friend. Take some more subzero. Doctor's orders. I'll let myself out."

Josef stood up and left, and I hoped he would leave Beth alone.

The freezer welcomed me back. I couldn't help but wish that there was a way to welcome Beth into my world, but it would be too dangerous for her and just more heartbreak for me. We didn't mix. It was probably best if I kept my distance. With that thought I was out again.

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End file.
